San Antonio -Elridge Moore has a different mindset than most basketball players and it developed as he was growing up then playing for then-St. Augustine coach Clifford Barthe' in high school. To him, defense is essential, the key component of a successful team.

In fact, he takes it personally when an opponent is having a high-scoring game.

"I hate it when somebody is scoring,'' said Moore, a 6-foot-5 senior forward for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. "I hate when someone is scoring on me. I've been like that since I was a kid. Coach Barthe (now the Delgado basketball coach), he stressed that a lot.''

Moore intends to take that healthy hate again to the court Friday afternoon when the 14th-seeded Ragin' Cajuns meet third-seeded Creighton at 2:10 p.m. in a second round NCAA Tournament West Regional game here at the AT&T Center, home of the San Antonio Spurs.

He'll need every ounce of it when he gets his tough assignment of the season, maybe his career. It's a good bet that Moore, a 2010 graduate of St. Augustine, will be guarding Creighton star Doug McDermott, who averages 26.9 points per game and is the fifth all-time scorer in NCAA history, when the Cajuns play man-to-man.

"We have a big task with him,'' Moore said. "We talked about it a little. When we go man-to-man, I'm pretty sure I'll be the one to guard him. I feel good about it. He can score in a variety ways. He can post up, shoot the 3 from a long distance. I just want to keep the ball out of his hands. That'll be my main focus.''

Moore is the guy that does a lot of the dirty work for the Cajuns, a role he said he relishes. His stats certainly aren't as noteworthy as teammates Elfrid Payton, the Cajuns point guard from John Ehret, or Shawn Long, who combine to average more than 37 points per game. Moore averages 2.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

"He's a senior that is focused,'' Marlin said. "He's quiet, soft spoken. Very good energy guy. Very competitive in practice. Tough. Just like you'd expect a New Orleans guy to be.''

The Cajuns aren't tipping their hand as to exactly what they'll do against McDermott, a 6-8 senior. But it's likely that Moore will get a shot at him during a good portion of the game.

At 6-5, Moore gives up three inches to McDermott. But he's used to playing against opponents taller or smaller than him, Marlin said.

He's also on a bit of a roll, Marlin said. In the Sun Belt Tournament last weekend, won by UL-Lafayette to earn the NCAA Tournament berth, Moore had seven rebounds in a semifinal victory against Western Kentucky and six against Georgia State in the championship game, including the final rebound in overtime that preserved the Cajuns' 82-81 overtime victory.

"He's been unfortunate in that we play him out of position,'' Marlin said. "We play him at the power forward even though he's about 6-4. Over the last year, he guarded Tony Mitchell from North Texas, who was an NBA draft pick. We were fortunate enough to beat those guys three times because of his defense.

"He guards (all five positions) on the defensive end. He's rebounding the ball really well. I thought he played at a high level (in the Sun Belt Tournament). That's about as well as he can play. He's very important to what we do defensively.''

Moore has been transient in his college career. He started at Nicholls State as a freshman, then moved to Lamar State College, a junior college school in Port Arthur, Texas, before coming to UL-Lafayette in 2012-13.

Marlin said Moore is the type of player that every successful team needs, one who doesn't need the limelight or have to be the top scorer.

Payton said Moore is a outstanding teammate who you can rely on the court.

"He's a good guy who you look to in crucial situations to make a big play, especially on defense,'' Payton said.

"I take pride in that,'' Moore said. "My team needs me to do the things I do for us to win. I just try to bring 100 percent effort every time I step on the floor. I just want to win. I'm going to do whatever it takes to win. If they need me to score, I'll do that. If they need me to defend and bring energy, I'll do that. That's what we've been successful doing so I'll keep doing that.''